What is this place?

Ark took a look at his surroundings.

Darkness so thick, couldnt see an inch of the area surround him.

If it was a Warp, it shouldnt be that far away

The distance you could move with a Warp was just 200 meters. Furthermore, it was a spell that couldnt designate a coordinate. It just randomly moved you anywhere in the vicinity. Nevertheless, the reason why it belonged under the category of Advanced Spells was because if a Magician used Warp, they demonstrated enormous power.

There were many cases where a Magician with weak defense was attacked by an approaching fighter before he could utter a spell. He would then use Warp, which had a short cast time. The distance wasnt much, and the coordinates couldnt be designated either, but it was the most useful spell for getting behind a disconcerted fighter.

There was an immense difference in the survival rates of Magicians who didnt learn Warp and Magicians who did.

Anyway, seems like Ive survived thanks to it.

As Ark wandered around, he soon discovered Haverstein, who had collapsed in the area.

Viscount, please come to your senses!

The weakly trembling Haverstein opened his eyes.

Its Ark You survived. What a relief.

Haverstein mumbled with a dull voice.

Please come to your senses. You cant become weak. Dont you have to carry out your fathers revenge?

Youre wrong. Even if I listen to your words strength doesnt come out The soldiers have suffered too Even my fathers revenge I couldnt even protect my son Pathetic Cough!

Haverstein jerkily vomited blood. Soon afterward, he grabbed his silver necklace, ripped it away, and pulled it out for Ark.

Ark, my son is strong Without a doubt, he will grow up strong Tell this to that child Im sorry I couldnt protect you And be sure to protect your son Tell him Can you promise me that you will live and tell him?

I understand.

- You have acquired Viscount Haversteins Blood-stained Silver Necklace.

Thank you

The weakly trembling Haversteins arm fell limply. Then his body slowly became transparent.

Ark softly clenched his teeth. The body was disappearing. Though it was nothing new, with this scene, he was once again reminded of the fact that NPCs are not human. Nevertheless, his heart was sorrowful.

Although he was an NPC, he was someone Ark had cared for in his own way. Ark had sincerely nursed him. Seeing someone like that disappear before his eyes flooded him with an indescribable mixture of emotions.

Then the sound of rolling drums rang in his ear.

Ah, thats right. Damn, if Haverstein dies then the quest is a failure, right?

For it to end in failure after suffering so much But exploding in anger would be futile.

A dead person doesnt disappear. The NPCs were also the same. The one and only point that differed from reality, was that when NPCs died a person who could perform their role in their place would soon appear. No, was reality like that too?

While Ark was having those thoughts, the quest window opened.

Arks eyes widened.

Oh? What?

The quest has been updated. Secret of the Slate III Deliver the Keepsake to Viscount Haversteins Son Viscount Haversteins death was predetermined; though its regrettable, you can only accept it. However, he has left his will that you, who he trusted, deliver the keepsake to his son. As his will prescribed, you must escape the ruin and deliver it to his son in the castle. Note, if you die starting from the time you receive this quest, the keepsake will disappear and you will automatically fail the quest as well. In the case of failure, you can suffer penalties from the item related to this quest, so be careful. Difficulty: +E

Surprisingly, the quest was still not over.

Wait, after all the quest didnt say that I absolutely had to kill Debra.

New World was a game with a high level of freedom.

The quest was the same as well.

It was the same as going into the ruin by badgering Haverstein. The objective of the quest could fluidly change following the users choice. If Debra had been defeated, then Ark wouldve received a reward and it would end like that. Even in the case that it couldnt be defeated, there was room left for another choice.

Thats right. Since the goal was to find the secret of the ruin, rooting through the entire ruin and meeting Debra was already enough to complete this quest. Then this quest is yet another branch.

Because this was a quest that could only be received with a certain amount of accumulated intimacy with Haverstein.

Anyway, its a relief, but what do I do bout this? Since theyve hammered the nail on not letting me use tricks

Ark muttered with an annoyed voice.

In any case, it was difficult to leave the ruin again by himself. So as Ark read the explanation, he had considered whether he should kill himself.

When a user dies, he would awaken at the registered supply base.

The last place he had registered was Jackson Castle. Although his stats would be cut, he was now used to restoring stats.

If all he had to do was restore the stats and turn in the quest, hed be able to complete in a +E rank quest.

Now he thought about just giving up on the quest. However, he shook his head.

It was a quest that had come linked several times. Who knew how large the reward would be? Also, his feelings weighed into his decision.

If possible, he wanted to fulfill Haversteins last request.

He was an NPC who wasnt fond of many people anyways, so I should try to do as much as possible. Getting the item penalties worries me too...

Because he hadnt properly understood one simple message in Harun Village, there had been a time when he had suffered horribly.

If something seemed suspicious, it was good to be on the cautious side.

Then, where do I have to go now anyways? Seeing as he gave me the quest, there seems to be a way out well, theres nothin I can do but try moving for now.

Ark pressed his hand to the wall with one hand and walked in the dark.

It was the simplest way to escape from the labyrinth.

There was a small passage on one side of a round, circular space. When he followed that passage to the end, a wide space appeared yet again.

It was when he had encountered that kind of space three times. He suddenly heard the sound of something moving quickly in the dark. As Ark stopped walking, a red light abruptly flashed in front of his eyes.

- You have been attacked. -5 Health.

Its an enemy!

Ark rapidly drew his sword. Simultaneously, he heard a slithering sound in the entire cave. It was not the sound of one or two people. In the next few moments, was suddenly pounced at. Although he didn't take any heavy damage, he his Health was being steadily sucked.

If this enemy could cut his Health that fast with 5 damage, then there were probably about a hundred of them at the very least. With that many piled up, even if his opponents were Mice, it was a dangerous situation. When his Health was about a half, Ark jerked his head up.

Spirit of the Cat!

Nyaaaaa~!

The sharp cry swept through the cave. In that moment, the stream of mindless attacks just ended.

Are they caught in paralysis?

Ark quickly raised his sword to finish them. Unexpectedly, hundreds of pairs of yellow eyes bobbed up in front of him. They were eyes glinting with bloodthirst. The cave became chilly.

Damn, they werent paralyzed. Did it fail?

The Intermediate Spirit of the Cat paralyzed mice with a 100 percent chance. But when used against small monsters, there was a 50 percent chance of failure. In the end, that meant it was 50/50 chance, but it had unfortunately gone and tripped on that chance.

On top of that, the mana consumption of the Intermediate Spirit of the Cat was 100. If he used it once, he couldnt use it for 10 minutes until his mana was completely restored.

While Ark was writhing in distress, the eyes slowly came closer.

All of sudden, he heard a sharp voice.

Stop. Hes not an enemy.

At the same time, the danger disappeared as if he were dreaming. Even until then, he had only seen the yellow eyes of his opponents. Ark had thought that was because of the dark. But the area where the eyes were became hazy, and a form he could distinguish, even in the dark appeared.

Ca-cat?

What was surrounding Ark was a swarm of about a hundred cats. Cats of every variety that could be found in the encyclopedia of life, even cats hed never heard of were mixed in.

Hm, how is it that you used a skill of the Meow?

Then he suddenly heard a voice right in front of his nose. When he turned his head, a girl was ramming her nose into Ark and sniffing. Ark stumbled back in astonishment.

A girl? But whats with those ears and tail?

As Ark examined the target, his eyes widened.

The appearance of the person who was prodding him with her nose was undoubtedly a girl. Her face was pretty and the body shape pressing above the tightly clinging leather clothes was splendid as well. But there were pointed ears hanging atop her head, and around the back of her buttocks, there was a long, gently swaying tail.

She was like a woman in a cat costume that occasionally appeared in mature content magazines.

As the girl stared at him with round eyes, she abruptly opened her mouth.

Im Jana. You?

Uh? I-Im Ark.

Im just askin just in case, but youre a human, right?

When Ark nodded with a dazed expression, Jana spun around.

I didnt know a human would really come anyway, follow me.

Ark didnt know how to respond and was vacantly apathetic.

Well, since there doesnt seem to be any hostility.

In the end, Ark put away his sword and followed that womans pendulous tail.

Cats followed closely all around him. The sight of the cats holding their heads high and marching, as if they were escorting a prisoner, made the tension in his body crumble away all at once, and laughter bubbled out.

After walking about 30 minutes, a space diffused with hazy light appeared.

About fifteen people who looked like Jana were gathered in the center of a space teeming with a hundred cats, and an elder of enormously large stature was sitting in the middle.

Her being large was one thing, though that didnt mean she was packed full of muscles. It meant she had a tight figure, like an ad balloon.

Of course, there were cat ears and a tail attached to her too.

The hell, what is this? Cosplay land? Is that what this is?

In New World, Beast was also a race that users could choose. However, normally a Beast was made based on a wolf. He had never heard of a cat race.

In that time, Jana approached the elder and whispered something.

The elder asked with a slightly surprised expression, Come quickly, stranger. I am the elder of the Meow; they call me Hassan. Is it true that you used a skill of the Meow?

Skill of the Meow?

The heroic cats strength that completely dominates mice.

So she was talking about the Spirit of the Cat.

Yes, is there some kind of a problem?

Arks voice was slightly unfriendly.

Hed suffered from Debra, Haverstein had died, and he had been beaten here after struggling in a cave in the middle of nowhere. Though this wasnt as bad as reality, he was beginning to feel slight pain even within the game. So even for Ark, there was no reason for good words to come out.

However, Hassan opened her mouth again as if that didnt matter.

Where did you learn that skill?

I learned it when I received the title.

Title?

It is a title called Mouse Master.

Mouse Master!

Hassans eyes widened. Her ears and tail also sprang up. She was exactly the picture of a fat cat in shock.

That wasnt all. The people and cats that had gathered in their surroundings also stared at Ark with wide eyes.

Since ancient times, the title of Mouse Master was only bestowed onto a valiant one who killed a Black Bear Mouse. But the Black Bear Mouse is already a race that has become extinct. Whats left is Debras henchman. Even so, if you received the Mouse Master title are you saying that you killed Debras henchman?

Debras henchman? Im not sure, but its true that I killed Black Bear Mouse.

Are you telling the truth? Th-then didnt you see the slate there, by any chance?

Are you talking about this?

Ark pulled out the slate without much consideration.

It was an item that had already served its purpose of opening the door to Debras chamber. But Hassan ogled the slate with deeply moved eyes, rushed to embrace Ark, and rubbed him with her balloon-like body.

You came, you finally came! I knew you would come! Truth-Seeker!

What are you saying? Whats wrong? Whats a Truth-Seeker again?

There wasnt a man out there who would be happy with this elder attacking him with her whole body.

As Ark grimaced and pushed her away, Hassan scratched her head with a slightly sheepish expression.

Ah, I was a little excited and made a fool of myself. Okay, thats right. You probably dont know the situation properly yet. Of course you dont know. But dont worry. Because Ill slowly explain it to you.

Hassan returned to sit in her chair again and began speaking.

As you can see, we are Maban, Beast. Even among them, we are the honorable Meow who serve the Cat Sage. The ruin above us was originally our temple. However, Debra suddenly appeared dragging along monsters, and it was snatched away from us. Then, fearing our strength, the bastard imprisoned the rest of us in a place like this.

Imprisoned? You were imprisoned here? Ark asked with a dumb expression. Then did that mean this place was a prison? The place he had flown to riding the opportune Warp to was a prison?

Then didnt that also mean there wasnt a way out?

In any case, Hassans voice continued.

To be safe, Debra, fearing we might escape the prison, entrusted the key to his henchman and went and sealed it in a faraway wilderness.

At that moment, Ark was shocked into attention.

Key? Then this slate

Yes, that slate is the one and only key that can open all the doors in the temple. And the Black Bear Mouse you defeated was definitely the henchman who ran away with the key.

Arks face brightened. If that was the case, now it wasnt even a problem to find the way out. He could afford to be relieved.

I clearly grasp the situation. However, I cant understand.

What do you mean?

I have already fought with Debra once. It was close to invincible, an absurdly powerful bastard. But for that kind of guy to fear your strength and imprison you, and even seal the key far away is something that I cant understand?

At Arks words, Hassans face filled with pride.

Thats because we are descendants of Hero Maban.

Hero Maban?

Oh, you dont know?

A disappointed look flashed over Hassans face.

"Hero Maban was one among the 7 heroes who saved the past continent from crisis. In other words, shall we say he was one of the strongest warriors in the continent? And we are the tribe who has served that Hero Maban since long ago. Well, thats not the only reason why Debra fears us

Hassan, who darkened at the mere thought of Debra, bared his teeth slightly.

Since long ago, warriors have revered that Hero Maban and have followed his footsteps. The Meow call those people Truth-Seekers and are entrusted with the role of guiding them to the right path. But in order to become a Truth-Seeker, there is a stage that one must pass first.

A stage one must pass?

Yes, Hero Maban is the hero the Meow worship. To see whether one is qualified to follow his footsteps, one must first receive the Meows test. Its first stage can be passed by catching at least ten thousand of what can be called the Meows natural enemy, Mice. Only when that is possible can one be said to have begun the first step as a Truth-Seeker.

Ten thousand Mice!

That was the task he had finished as a quest hed received from Harun Village. But he had never dreamed that it might be the path to becoming a Truth-Seeker.

But thats not all. To receive recognition as a true Truth-Seeker, one must topple what the Meow can call their greatest enemy, Black Bear Mouse. With that, as friends of the Meow whose hearts are filled with hatred and anger towards mice, you were able to receive the qualification to step into the path of the Truth-Seeker. Thats why you were able to learn a skill of the Meow.

Hassan spoke out with a serious expression.

At first, the Meow and the cats had shown interest in him with sparkling eyes. But they must have become bored quickly, because they were stretched out and yawning as they pleased. Seeing this, it seemed that cats understood the phrase however they pleased. Anyways, Ark roughly understood the situation up until now.

Thats why I knew that a Truth-Seeker like you would appear in front of us one day. Since the Black Bear Mouse left in the outside world is none other than Debras henchman.

Thu-thu-thump.

When Hassans words ended, the information window popped up.

- You have untangled all the complicated secrets of the ancient relic Mysterious Slate. Intelligence 10, Fame 100 have increased. You have acquire a new stat. Knowledge of Ancient Relics (+10): New knowledge of researching ancient relics has come into your hands. New World is a continent that guards many legends and secrets that havent been uncovered yet. By collecting an ancient relic, it has become possible for you to discover this worlds hidden secrets, one by one. This kind of knowledge will provide yet another branching quest for requests that have been entrusted to you, and depending on the situation, it will help you receive a greater reward. Stat distribution is impossible, and if you acquire an ancient relic or discover a hidden truth, the stat will increase.

Oh, whats this? Theres this kind of bonus too?

Arks jaw dropped. Because he had already inwardly set his heart on a combat-related profession, it was a shame the bonus stat was the unnecessary Intelligence, but wasnt it free anyway? On top of that, since he had gotten fame as well, he felt like he could fly, he was so happy. But the messages didnt end there.

You have obtained information about the ancestor of the Meow, Hero Maban. With this, you have taken the first step as a Truth-Seeker to following the footsteps of the legendary warrior, Hero Maban. It is possible to job change to Dark Walker, the unique profession of a Truth-Seeker. If you change your profession, it will become possible to learn the inherent skills of a Dark Walker. In addition, as a profession characteristic, there are also cases where you cannot learn some common skills. Would you like to change profession?

So there is even a related job change with the Secret of the Slate quest!

Arks heart thumped wildly.

This was one of the hidden professions hed only heard about!

Although he had played many online games up til now, this was the first time he had personally found one.

Hidden professions typically received higher additional stat bonuses than common professions. Given the extreme difficulty of finding one, this reward was a matter of course. Also, there were unique skills only obtainable in a hidden profession, and with their use, one could demonstrate incredible strength.

That was the reason why users didnt upload information about hidden professions.

Although there was the greed of wanting to monopolize hard-found information, more than that, the reason for hiding a distinctive skill only obtainable in a hidden profession was even greater. When users get into a fight amongst each other, if the opponent didnt know the other sides skill, then even that would be a huge help.

This is an incredible opportunity!

His excitement was great after all. But Ark hesitated for a moment.

If he thought about it carefully, it wasnt only a good thing.

So to speak, a hidden profession was partly a specialized profession, so there were many cases where the abilities leaned to one side. If a person who wanted to become a Magician happened to find a magic-specialized hidden profession, then they would be able to enjoy an enormous additional effect.

But if a warrior style user found the same magic hidden profession, it wouldnt simply be an extremely upsetting situation. In the end, becoming a character that wasnt one or the other wasnt a small possibility. Since users didnt share information, it wasnt possible to check that point before job changing.

The risk is pretty high. Argh.

If he made a risky mistake with his one and only character, it would be the end.

However, it was too much of a shame to reject a hidden profession he had found after all of this.

He had come this far struggling with an absolutely impossible quest at level 15, when it was usually possible to change professions. That meant it was a profession that required at least that much ability. Then the extra ability and skill were probably not that extraordinary...

Although I cant know what type of profession it is from just the name since she said Hero Maban was a legendary warrior, wont it be combat-related? Alright, lets believe that!

In the end, Ark finished hesitating and shouted, Yes!

Around him, Ark was embraced with an aura of splendid light.

Character Name